The “spiritual father” of the Taos Society of Artists returns home this summer. Joseph Henry Sharp was known for his paintings depicting members of the Native American tribes of the West. He was one of six artists who traveled west in the early 20th century to create one of the most influential art colonies in the United States. From 1915 until his death in 1953, Sharp worked in a small adobe studio in Taos, NM, which is now part of the Couse-Sharp Historic Site.

“It has always been a goal to have a larger Sharp presence here and to make his studio a permanent exhibition space to honor his legacy,” says Davison Koenig, executive director of The Couse Foundation. With the studio recently restored, the foundation hosts a grand-opening weekend examining the life and legacy of the artist. On Saturday, June 10, Peter Hassrick, director emeritus and senior scholar at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, gives a lecture on the influence that various studios and locations had on Sharp’s work. The lecture begins at 10 a.m., followed that evening by the Couse Foundation Fifth Biennial Gala and Art Auction at 5:30 p.m.

The auction includes works from prominent artists who embody the spirit of Sharp’s artistic philosophy. Artists featured during the gala include Tony Abeyta, Clyde Aspevig, Maura Allen, Arturo Chávez, Kevin Red Star, Josh Elliott, Logan Maxwell Hagege, and others. On Sunday, the doors of the studio officially open to the public.

The studio features 30 pieces of Native American art that Sharp collected during his travels and used as references for his work. These artifacts remain on long-term display alongside a rotating exhibit of the artist’s work, with 24 pieces on view at any given time. The Couse Foundation has worked closely with various museums that house Sharp’s work in their collections. “It’s nice to have the support of so many large institutions and have their understanding of the importance of bringing him back home,” Koenig says. “Because he was such a prolific artist and he created so many things, it seems a shame to keep so many of those in the dark.” —Mackenzie McCreary

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Gradually, the artist found less and less satisfaction in merely “painting what I thought would sell.” That’s when he began turning back to the mostly American Indian-inspired figurative works that the East Coast gallery owner had warned him to avoid.